Winning Words 8/17/12
“Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away.”  (Arthur Helps)  Each day these Winning Words are sent out to about 400 people.  There are times when I wonder if “the seed” falls on barren ground.  I wonder if Jesus felt the same way when he spoke the Parable of the Sower?  The farmer knows a lot about the business of sowing…and so did Jesus, when he told the parable.    ;-)  Jack

FROM LS IN MICHIGAN:  I hear u asking if I read, ponder and take into my heart and daily living ur daily mail winning words? The answer is YES and thank u for doing this - - I look forward to ur insight and the words! I pay it forward to my four daughters and people I come in contact w each day as appropriate to their lives. Thank u////FROM JACK:  WOW!  I have a saying above my computer screen which reads, "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple.  Only God can count the apples in a seed."  Thanks for the affirmation of those words.

FROM TS NEAR PURDUE:  Remember however that some of that seed bounces around - maybe from barren to fertile.   For example, the seed that you dropped in Birmingham MI has now bounced to Lafayette IN and onto new ground as well.////FROM JACK:  That would be a good addition to the parable.  "And some of the seed bounced."  I think that Jesus would approve of that thought.

FROM FOXY ROXY:  Winning Words is what gets my day started. Haven't found one yet that didn't help me get going. Thank you for all the time and effort put into this.////FROM JACK:  Words like yours serve as an alarm clock to get me out of bed at 5 am each day..

FROM RS IN MICHIGAN:  I'm listening!////FROM JACK:  God speaks to us in a variety of ways.  Roy Acuff used to sing the song, "Turn Your Radio On," which said that God can speak using the radio.  If Roy were still alive, he might sing, "Turn Your PC On."

FROM JH IN MICHIGAN:  Hi Jack - yes they do make a difference - thanks for your good efforts!!   Please add my son Adam to your email list ////FROM JACK:  I recall that the translation of the word, Adam, means "first man."  Your son will be the first Adam on the Winning Words list.

FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: I enjoy your daily missives - it is a work of love you do.  In my CBS Newsletter I wonder if many read them. Then I'll run into someone who thanks me, or get a short email note from someone in Turkey.////FROM JACK:  I would like to see if someone has modernized the Parable of the Sower to read, "Behold, someone sat at their computer and typed out a message that went to many people..."  Or something like that.  BTW, I hear from people in London and Hong Kong, but no one in Turkey.

FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  There are two things I read every morning--your WW and Henri Nouwen meditation sent out by the Henri Nouwen Society. Your WW never cease to make me think and reflect and, whenever you take a vacation, they are truly missed. You are truly missed. You have a wise and optimistic perspective that shows through the people's quotes you choose and your own words that follow. Your lens on life is wonderful and helps us all to see we are in a big, big, big community in this world where there is much joy, hope, charity, love, I could go on and on. THANKS A MILLION!!!!!!!////FROM JACK:  I am energized by the the give and take from readers like you.  You always seem to s response that indicates that the "seed" has taken root.  BTW, when I was a teen there was an ice cream place in our town by the name of, Prince Castle, and their milk shakes were called, "One in a Million." Without Prince Castle, there would be no McDonald's. Ray Kroc was working as a salesman for the Lily Tulip Cup Company. One of his clients was Prince Castle, and Kroc sold him paper sundae cups. Another client of Kroc's had invented Ice Milk - in contrast to a milkshake, it was made by blending milk with frozen milk, flavoring, sugar, and cornstarch, which resulted in a drink colder, thicker, and more viscous than a standard shake. Kroc introduced Prince to the Ice Milk, and Prince immediately invented the "One-in-a-Million" shake.

FROM DR EM IN MICHIGAN:  I often feel that way in my office - telling people that health comes from within. Some hear it, some don't. Sometimes I wonder...////FROM JACK:  All preaching is not done from the pulpit.  All sowing is not done by the farmer.  Keep on trying to get the health message into the minds of your clients.////MORE FROM THE DOCTOR:  I serve God by serving his people. I'm just a vessel. ////FROM JACK:  In the Church, there's a slogan, that we try to follow..."People are our only business." 
That slogan could hang in your waiting room, too.////EM AGAIN:  My friend has a sign up in his office - I move the bone. God does the healing.

FROM TEXAS RON:   Seems to me some seeds wind up growing better than others, but if they aren't sown the guarantee is there will be no fruit, so glad you sow them.////FROM JACK:  The farmer would never get his job done, if he stopped to ponder the potential of each seed.  The seed is the seed.

FROM AP IN MICHIGAN:  This reminds me of a conversation you and I had years ago. I was concerned about all the high schoolers who had completed  confirmation, then disappeared. Your comment was that the seed had been planted and that time would tell if it had taken hold.  Rewards are sometimes long in coming. It works like that for a teacher, too. Your words are appreciated here, every single day.////FROM JACK:  It works that way with parenting, too.  Do the best you can as a mom and dad and "things will work out."  I remember these words from a poem:  "It's been said,  As a tree is bent...  so then shall it grow.  The teaching that you give your child,  determines where they'll go."

FROM SAINT JAMES:  Although you might not get much feedback from your audience, but you never know how much your perspectives shape our perceptions.////FROM JACK:  Your response brings to mind this poem by Leroy Brownlow.
There's a Gospel according to Matthew; To Mark;
To Luke; and John too.
There's another gospel that many are reading...
The Gospel according to You.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Thanks for the daily WW.  I really appreciate them.////FROM JACK:  Your kind word has not been thrown away!  Thanks

FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  No they don't.  This one is sowing further.////FROM JACK:  Here's an interesting case for you as a patent attorney.  Does a farmer have the right to sow the seed?
Judge Sides With Monsanto: Ridicules Farmers’ Right to Grow Food Without Fear, Contamination and Economic Harm.  
On February 24, Judge Naomi Buchwald handed down her ruling on a motion to dismiss in the case of Organic Seed Growers and Trade Assn et al v. Monsanto after hearing oral argument on January 31st in Federal District Court in Manhattan. Her ruling to dismiss the case brought against Monsanto on behalf of organic farmers, seed growers and agricultural organizations representing farmers and citizens was met with great disappointment by the plaintiffs.  Plaintiff lead attorney Daniel Ravicher said, “While I have great respect for Judge Buchwald, her decision to deny farmers the right to seek legal protection from one of the world’s foremost patent bullies is gravely disappointing. Her belief that farmers are acting unreasonable when they stop growing certain crops to avoid being sued by Monsanto for patent infringement should their crops become contaminated maligns the intelligence and integrity of those farmers. Her failure to address the purpose of the Declaratory Judgment Act and her characterization of binding Supreme Court precedent that supports the farmers’ standing as ‘wholly inapposite’ constitute legal error.  In sum, her opinion is flawed on both the facts and the law. Thankfully, the plaintiffs have the right to appeal to the Court of Appeals, which will review the matter without deference to her findings.”

FROM ILLINOIS LIZ:  That's why u need a Facebook-style "Like" button. I often wonder whether I have made a point when the other party doesn't acknowledge... have determined that when they quit "putting up a fight," they r conceding. Or simply exhausted.////FROM JACK:  Facebook or a blog isn't a good substitute for face to face encounter.  However, they're better than no contact at all.  Winning Words has allowed me to meet and to reconnect with many people, and I really appreciate that.

FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER:  What happened to make you doubt yourself this way? The seed you sow in WW bears more fruit than you realize .  So here's a kind word...bravo!////FROM JACK:  Today's quote refers to wise saying falling on barren ground...which caused me to wonder: "Are the daily WWs falling on barren ground?  In the ad biz, "Are people really reading this stuff and being motivated by it?" ////PFC RESPONSE:  "As in advertising", not everybody "gets" it, but if enough do, you sell a ton of product. Believe me, you are selling a ton of product.////FROM JACK:  "Sell" is an interesting word.

FROM HR:  I read your words every day. Some make me smile, some inspire me, some go in one ear and out the other, some help me clarify questions I have of how to proceed with a problem. Thank you for sending these words out ////FROM JACK:  Thank you.  "A kind word is never thrown away."  A friend of mine had a business that was cyclical.  He had a box where he would keep "thank you" notes received from clients of his.  When there was the occasional "down" day, he would take out that box and reread some of those nice letters and notes that people had written to him.


FROM RICE LAKE CAROL:  Good Morning –  Just so you know your wise sayings and kind words don’t fall on barren ground here.  I often share them with other friends or family members to brighten their day or remind them of our many blessings.  You may never know when just one seed gets planted in someone else’s life to give them hope for today and faith for tomorrow.  Thanks for sharing!////FROM JACK:  When I was in "the church business," my WWs were called, Sentence Sermons.  Instead of saving them in a computer file, people told me that they'd put them on the refrigerator or paste them in a scrapbook

FROM MOLINER JT:  The seed will sprout, even in drought !////FROM JACK:  I read that a 2000 year old date palm seed (carbon dated) was found in some ruins in Israel.  It was planted and germinated.

FROM PASTY PAT:  I can't speak for the other 399, but let me reassure you that I'm paying attention! ////FROM JACK:  I'll keep that in mind next Monday morning.

FROM RJP IN NAPLES:  I warmly receive your WW every day and never considered myself Barren Ground....Many have accused me of being fully fertilized.....I consider myself a conduit of the best life gives me.////FROM JACK:  Have you ever heard of Milorganite?  Perhaps you could develop Boborganite?

FROM JR IN PALM DESERT:  The "seed" never falls on barren ground at our place.  I so look forward to your Winning Words every morning.////FROM JACK:  There's lots of barren ground in the desert, but there are also those "oasis" spots...like where you live.

FROM JT IN MICHIGAN:  One of the four hundred says that all the time that you spend searching for "Winning Words" affects many of my days.  I know that you have shared hundreds of them with all of us.   I have about 50 of them in my file "Favorite Quotations."////FROM JACK:  My all-time favorite is probably the one that got me interested in saving quotes.  "Virtue is learned at mother's knee.  Vice is learned at other joints."  My pastor had that printed in the Mother's Day bulletin when I was a teen.

FROM CA IN MICHIGAN:  KEEP ON SOWING !!  Many (including me) are being fed by your Winning Words.////FROM JACK:  Your response reminds me of the old Gospel song, "Bringing In the Sheaves."  The sowing is not complete until the sheaves are harvested.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Excellent WW.////FROM JACK:  I was surprised that no one commented about the author of the "seed," the man with the interesting name.

FROM YOOPER BOB:  I for one have of file of your quotes.  But as important as they are I recall much more our conversations as friends and colleagues at Merrill.////FROM JACK:  Talking about sowing the seed....I remember your sermon on the subject to the pastors of the Superior Conference in Merrill.  Calling on your farm-boy experience, you said: "We are to be God's artificial inseminators."  I'll never forget it.

 FROM MS IN MICHIGAN:  Your words are appreciated, if not acknowledged.  They are often a spur to finding a Bible verse or looking up something else.  One of my favorites (posted on my little basement bulletin board) is from September 2008, from Leonard Cohen:  Ring the bells that still can ring.  Forget your perfect offering.  There is a crack in everything.  That’s how the light gets in.////FROM JACK:  That's almost 1000 WWs ago.  The quote seems new to me now.  Thanks for letting the light back in.

FROM CJL IN OHIO:  We read them but don't always respond.   Keep sending & know they are read and used.////FROM JACK:  Sometimes sermons are like that.